1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for increasing the activity and effectiveness of pesticides, herbicides, and other agricultural spray solutions, and, more particularly, to a treatment process that facilitates such increased activity by subjecting the hydrous fluid system to magnetic energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
The agricultural industry employs a variety of chemical treatments designed to eliminate or at least regulate persistent and harmful natural elements such as insect populations and weed growth. Conventional methods have used powerful solutions of pesticides and herbicides in conjunction with nozzle-based spray equipment to distribute the chemical solutions over the affected area. The most aggressive chemical agents are highly effective at even low concentration levels due to their toxic properties. Application of these toxicants are typically conducted in parallel with other treatment measures aimed at promoting crop growth, such as fertilization. It is clear that the management of farming properties requires continuous and effective chemical maintenance to provide sufficient levels of insect and weed control. The benefit of crop protection, however, comes at the expense of introducing a level of toxicity into the farming environment that raises serious problems, such as endangering local habitats of non-targeted organisms, exposing potable water supplies to dangerous contaminants, and releasing hazardous pollutants into the atmosphere. These widespread risks have prompted various governmental agencies to examine the possibility of instituting stricter environmental guidelines that, once implemented, will require modifications to existing discharge limits in the hope of reducing or eliminating contamination of the environment and water supply and minimizing damage to surface-level habitats. The danger to animals is of particular concern because the toxicity levels of the chemical sprays represent a lethal threshold for certain species of wildlife that otherwise are not the targets of the crop treatment procedures and thus do not pose any risk to crop growth. Other regulatory proposals would place restrictions on the chemical content of spray solutions in an attempt to prohibit the use of the most toxic agents.
Commercial spraying operations also face economic problems as a result of treatment costs that fluctuate due to the existence of a variety of uncontrollable and unpredictable environmental factors which adversely affect the toxicity and activity of the chemicals. The lack of predictability means that farmers will incur higher than normal operating expenses as they attempt to respond to problems as they arise, in contrast to more foreseeable conditions where adequate preventive and corrective measures can be readied. Some of the more important factors influencing the degree of chemical activity are water temperature, Ph level, and dilution. Excessive dilution results from the presence of organic and inorganic compounds in the water source, such as the reducing agents S.sup.2 -, FE.sup.2 +, MN.sup.2 +, and NO.sup.2 -. The difficulty with many of these factors is that their lack of interrelatedness (e.g., not linked by a chain of proximate effects) or dependency on a single common cause prevents the application of one broad treatment method, requiring instead a series of individually different processing techniques. Particular attention is addressed to those factors and conditions occurring naturally or artificially that neutralize the active component of the chemical spray solution.
One current approach to enhancing the effectiveness of agricultural sprayers incorporates an electrostatic process into the hydraulic sprayer. The Melroe Company of Fargo, N.Dak. has proposed a method of contact charging the spray particles prior to nozzle dispersion so that the individual spray cloud droplets acquire a negative charge. The apparatus uses an electrode at the centrifugal pump to apply a 40,000V negative charge to the chemical before it is pumped to the nozzles for distribution. It is proposed that such contact charging allows the spray particles to be propelled towards the coverage area at an increased downward velocity.
However, any possible benefit that may accrue from contact charging will be diminished to the extent of any charge dissipation, circuit disruptions and/or failures, or other electrical conditions that have the effect of appreciably reducing the applied negative charge, which may occur either during the charging cycle or while the charged solution is in transit to the field surface. Additionally, variations in the ionic properties of the field growth, such as an increase in anionic components (i.e., negatively charged ions), will electrostatically oppose the incoming stream of negatively charged spray droplets and act to diminish their surface penetration and impact density. It is clear that contact charging requires an electrostatic environment conducive to the transmission of highly-charged fluid particles and which exhibits minimal vulnerability to electrical interference. However, in view of the many factors affecting spray operations and their effectiveness, it is possible that contact charging may encounter difficulties in guarding against external conditions that modify the charge level. Furthermore, it does not appear that contact charging affects any chemical properties of the spray solution in a manner favorable to improving the amount of chemical agent reaching the field, e.g., as might result from increasing the chemical concentration through elevated water solubility.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the aforementioned problems associated with prior methods of applying fertilizers and pesticides dissolved in chemical spray solutions.